Valentine's Day Tea Party

I am an enthusiastic subscriber to the local newspaper (KC Star).  That means while I am busy feeling smug about not having cable, thereby watching very little commercial television, I am exposed to subversive advertising that gets its evil claws around my soul without me even noticing.  These products and restaurants and stores don't even take out ads in the traditional sense.  They submit blurbs to the paper, letting everyone know about their foodie events.  Yes, I'm mainly talking about food since I love to eat it, talk about it, dream about it, cook it, and be an overall snob about it, depending on my mood and energy level at the moment.

This week in the Thursday section that lists all the upcoming events in the city, there was a little blurb about Bluestem Restaurant. It's been in the news some, it might even have a bit of a national reputation, and I've been wanting to go there.  On a side note, a fellow book club member lamented that her meal there was tainted by Eurotrash.  I nodded politely, looked appropriately disgusted by said trash, and filed it away so I could look up the term.  What is Eurotrash?  Well, let's just say if I were thinner, blonder, and gaudier, I could also be Eurotrash.  Hey, a girl can dream.  I'll add that to my "When I grow up, I wanna be..." list.  Currently, I want to be a paid political pundit, so Eurotrash aspirations will have to wait a bit.

Anywho, Bluestem was going to host a Valentine's Tea for families, featuring sandwiches and pastry.  For our family, though, it would've cost about $75 to attend.  Since I'd recently emptied the sofa of all lost change and spent it on a night at the nickel slots, I figured I could throw myself a little tea for a fraction of the price.  I invited another family for the fun and called it a party.

Screw it, we're doing our own tea!

I love parties!

Enjoying her Shirley Temple, Winslow smacks her lips.

My egg salad and cucumber sandwiches had everyone licking the leaf!

Ryan made the cookies...

Oooh, cookies with special messages on them!

How...uplifting?

Appropriate for Singles Awareness Day.

So wrong, and yet so right.

Isn't he special?

Meanwhile, Martha Stewart called me and made me prepare Chocolate Pots de Creme for all the adult guests.  And by "called me and made me", I mean, my mother subscribes to her magazine and sent me a copy.  Just reading the damn thing draws me into a trance of epic cooking proportions.  The recipe did not turn out as I expected.

Requisite chocolate dessert.

It was a little too ganache-y and not creamy enough.  Hell, it has the word "Creme" in the name--it should be creamy!  Since MS is the queen of perfection, and I am the queen of good enough and that's almost right, I'm going to take the blame.  However, I still ate all of it, my husband ate all of his, my friend ate his and his wife's (she's not a chocolate lover).  So nothing went to waste, despite the dessert's delusions of grandeur.

Of course, we also enjoyed drinks. Shades of red being the colors of VD (that's Valentine's Day, sir, and nothing more ::cough::), we thought Shirley Temples for the kids and something spiked for the adults.

If it's red, it tastes good, right?

Adult red drinks.   Or Triaminic parading around as cherry vodka. 

Even if it's on clearance, do not buy this vodka.
You'll also see Sun Chips in the background.  They cost $3.99.
More than a pound of slab bacon. What gives?

We had flowers at Katie's request.

After the party, the girls read a coloring book together.  I think the words are written in special ink that is invisible to adults.

Oh, and thanks for all my new followers!  I think I've managed to follow everyone back who has left me a message.  If not, I'll catch up in the next day.

Spread the love, y'all. And to those of us in KCMO, enjoy our first inch of snow for the season.

P.S. If you look carefully in one of the photos, you'll see paint samples we're testing in the kitchen...

I linked up to Type A Decorating, A Bowl Full of Lemons.